Ch 2.

4 Emotions and moods

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 Chapter Objectives
• Upon completion of this chapter you will be able to:
Differentiate emotions from moods, and list the basic
emotions and moods.
Discuss whether emotions are rational and what functions
they serve.
Identify the sources of emotions and moods.
Show the impact emotional labor has on employees.
Describe Affective Events Theory and identify its
applications.
Contrast the evidence for and against the existence of
emotional intelligence.
Apply concepts about emotions and moods to specific OB
issues.
Contrast the experience, interpretation, and expression of
emotions across cultures.

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 Why Were Emotions Ignored in OB?
The “Myth of Rationality”
Emotions were seen as irrational
Managers worked to make emotion-free environments
View of Emotionality
Emotions were believed to be disruptive
Emotions interfered with productivity
Only negative emotions were observed

Now we know emotions can’t be separated from

the workplace

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 What are Emotions and
Moods?
Affect
A broad range of emotions that people
experience
Made up of:
Emotions
Intense feelings that are directed at
someone or something
Moods
Feelings that tend to be less intense than
emotions and that lack a contextual stimulus

Exhibit 8-1

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 The Basic Emotions
While not universally accepted, there appear to be six
basic emotions:
1. Anger
2. Fear
3. Sadness
4. Happiness
5. Disgust
6. Surprise
 All other emotions are subsumed under these six
 May even be placed in a spectrum of emotion
 Happiness – surprise – fear – sadness – anger - disgust

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 Basic Moods: Positive and Negative
Affect
Emotions cannot be neutral.
Emotions (“markers”) are grouped into general
mood states.
Mood states affect perception and therefore
perceived reality.

Exhibit 8-2

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 What is the Function of
Emotion?
Do Emotions Make Us Irrational?
Expressing emotions publicly may be damaging to
social status
Emotions are critical to rational decision-making
Emotions help us understand the world around us

What Functions Do Emotions Serve?

Darwin argued they help in survival problem-solving
Evolutionary psychology: people must experience
emotions as there is a purpose behind them
Not all researchers agree with this assessment

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 Sources of Emotion and Mood
Personality
There is a trait component – affect intensity
Day and Time of the Week
There is a common pattern for all of us:
 Happier in the midpoint of the daily awake period
 Happier toward the end of the week Exhibits 8-3 & 8-4
Weather
Illusory correlation – no effect
Stress
Even low levels of constant stress can worsen moods
Social Activities
Physical, informal, and dining activities increase positive
moods

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 More Sources of Emotion and Mood
Sleep
Poor sleep quality increases negative affect
Exercise
Does somewhat improve mood, especially for
depressed people
Age
Older folks experience fewer negative emotions
Gender
Women tend to be more emotionally expressive,
feel emotions more intensely, have longer lasting
moods, and express emotions more frequently than
do men
Due more to socialization than to biology

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 Emotional Labor
An employee’s expression of organizationally
desired emotions during interpersonal transactions
at work
Emotional Dissonance:
Employees have to project one emotion while
simultaneously feeling another
Can be very damaging and lead to burnout
Types of Emotions:
Felt: the individual’s actual emotions
Displayed: required or appropriate emotions
 Surface Acting: displaying appropriately but not feeling those
emotions internally
 Deep Acting: changing internal feelings to match display rules -
very stressful
Pay and Emotional Labor Exhibit 8-5

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 Affective Events Theory (AET)
 An event in the work environment triggers positive or
negative emotional reactions
 Personality and mood determine response intensity
 Emotions can influence a broad range of work variables
 Implications:
1. An emotional episode is actually the result of a series of emotional experiences
triggered by a single event
2. Current and past emotions affect job satisfaction
3. Emotional fluctuations over time create variations in job performance
4. Emotion-driven behaviors are typically brief and variable
5. Both negative and positive emotions can distract workers and reduce job
performance
 Emotions provide valuable insights about behavior
 Emotions, and the minor events that cause them, should
not be ignored at work: they accumulate
Exhibit 8-6

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 Emotional Intelligence (EI)
A person’s ability to:
Be self-aware
 Recognizing own emotions when experienced
Detect emotions in others
Manage emotional cues and information
EI plays an important role in job performance
EI is controversial and not wholly accepted
Case for EI:
 Intuitive appeal; predicts criteria that matter; is biologically-
based
Case against EI:
 Too vague a concept; can’t be measured; its validity is suspect

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 Emotional Intelligence
Non cognitive skills, capabilities, and
competencies that influence a person's ability to
interact with others.
Five dimensions
Self-awareness
Self-management
Self-motivation
Empathy
Social skills

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 OB Applications of Emotions and
Moods
Selection
EI should be a hiring factor, especially for social
jobs.
Decision Making
Positive emotions can lead to better decisions.
Creativity
Positive mood increases flexibility, openness, and
creativity.
Motivation
Positive mood affects expectations of success;
feedback amplifies this effect.
Leadership
Emotions are important to acceptance of messages
from organizational leaders.

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 More OB Applications of Emotions
and Moods
Negotiation
Emotions , skillfully displayed, can affect negotiations.
Customer Services
Emotions affect service quality delivered to customers
which, in turn, affects customer relationships.
Emotional Contagion: “catching” emotions from others.
Job Attitudes
Can carry over to home but dissipate overnight.??? What
about you?
Deviant Workplace Behaviors
Negative emotions lead to employee deviance (actions
that violate norms and threaten the organization).
Manager’s Influence
Leaders who are in a good mood, use humor, and praise
employees increase positive moods in the workplace.

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 Global Implications
Do people experience emotions equally?
No. Culture can determine type, frequency, and
depth of experienced emotions
Do people interpret emotions the same way?
Yes. Negative emotions are seen as undesirable
and positive emotions are desirable
However, value of each emotion varies across
cultures
Do norms of emotional expression vary?
Yes. Some cultures have a bias against emotional
expression; others demand some display of
emotion
How the emotions are expressed may make
interpretation outside of one’s culture difficult

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 Summary and Managerial
Implications
Moods are more general than emotions
and less contextual
Emotions and moods impact all areas of
OB
Managers cannot and should not attempt
to completely control the emotions of their
employees
Managers must not ignore the emotions of
their co-workers and employees
Behavior predictions will be less accurate
if emotions are not taken into account

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